Overview
The 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry (also known as the 92nd Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers) served as a Union cavalry regiment during the American Civil War. Organized at Camp Cameron near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the regiment was mustered into United States service during the fall of 1861 for a three-year term. The unit drew recruits primarily from Dauphin, Luzerne, Lancaster, Huntingdon, Perry, Cumberland, Mifflin, Blair, Wayne, Chester, Lehigh, Susquehanna counties, and the city and county of Philadelphia. The regiment was initially known as the Lochiel Cavalry and was commanded by Colonel E. C. Williams, a veteran of the Mexican War and the Pennsylvania militia.
The 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry served in the Western Theater, participating in numerous campaigns and engagements across Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas. The regiment was noted for its discipline, effectiveness in mounted operations, and repeated commendations from superior officers for gallantry in action.
Organization & Service
The regiment was organized at Camp Cameron, Harrisburg, and mustered into service in the fall of 1861 for three years. Many officers and men had previously served in the three months’ regiments. On November 20, 1861, the regiment departed for Pittsburgh and then traveled by boat to Louisville, Kentucky, reporting to General Buell of the Army of the Ohio. The regiment camped at Jeffersonville, Indiana, opposite Louisville, until January 1862, focusing on drill and discipline.
In early 1862, the regiment was ordered to remain in Kentucky for state protection. The three battalions were posted at Grayson Springs, Calhoun, and along the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. In March, the regiment moved into Tennessee, with battalions stationed at Springfield, Nashville, and Gallatin. The 3rd Battalion engaged Confederate cavalry under John Hunt Morgan at Lebanon, capturing 293 prisoners, and later fought at Livingston and Moore’s Hill, suffering casualties including Captain McCullough killed in action.
Throughout 1862, the regiment was active in Kentucky and Tennessee, fighting at Tompkinsville, Burkesville, and Shelbyville, and covering General Nelson’s retreat after the Battle of Richmond. The 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry was heavily engaged at the Battle of Perryville, earning praise from General Buell for its conduct under artillery fire. The regiment participated in a raid into eastern Tennessee in December 1862 and returned to Nicholasville in January 1863.
After refitting at Louisville, the regiment moved to Nashville and operated against Confederate cavalry under Forrest, Van Dorn, and Wheeler. It fought at Franklin and Thompson’s Station in March 1863, receiving honorable mention from General Rosecrans. The regiment then joined the campaign against Bragg, participating in the battles of Rover, Middleton, Shelbyville, Elk River, Cowan, and Chickamauga, where it again received commendation for gallantry.
During the winter of 1863–64, the regiment served in east Tennessee, fighting at Dandridge, New Market, Mossy Creek, and Fair Garden. The command reenlisted as veterans and returned to Pennsylvania on furlough in April 1864, then rejoined the army at Louisville in May. The regiment responded to Morgan’s raid in Kentucky and subsequently marched to Nashville and Chattanooga, engaging Confederate forces at Readyville and elsewhere.
Assigned to the 1st Brigade, 3rd Cavalry Division under General Kilpatrick, the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry joined General Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign and March to the Sea. The regiment led advances, captured enemy works at Lovejoy’s Station, and fought at Griswoldville, Waynesboro, and Buckhead Creek. In 1865, it participated in the Carolinas Campaign, engaging at Blackville, Aiken, Averasboro, and Bentonville. The regiment entered Raleigh and was present at the surrender of General Johnston’s Confederate forces. The 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry mustered out at Lexington, North Carolina, on July 18, 1865.
Research This Regiment Further
If you’d like to explore this unit’s history in more depth, regimental histories and Civil War reference works offer valuable detail.
Engagements & Campaigns
- Lebanon, Tennessee (March 1862)
- Livingston, Tennessee (May 1862)
- Moore’s Hill, Kentucky (June 1862)
- Tompkinsville and Burkesville, Kentucky (July 1862)
- Shelbyville, Kentucky (August 1862)
- Battle of Perryville, Kentucky (October 1862)
- Eastern Tennessee Raid (December 1862–January 1863)
- Franklin and Thompson’s Station, Tennessee (March 1863)
- Rover, Middleton, Shelbyville, Elk River, Cowan, Tennessee (1863)
- Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia (September 1863)
- Dandridge, New Market, Mossy Creek, Fair Garden, Tennessee (Winter 1863–64)
- Readyville, Tennessee (September 1864)
- Atlanta Campaign and March to the Sea (1864)
- Lovejoy’s Station, Griswoldville, Waynesboro, Buckhead Creek, Georgia (1864)
- Blackville, Aiken, South Carolina (1865)
- Lexington, Columbia, North Carolina (1865)
- Averasboro, Bentonville, North Carolina (March 1865)
- Raleigh and Hillsboro Road, North Carolina (April 1865)
Casualties
According to available sources, the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry suffered significant losses during its service. Fox’s Regimental Losses and state reports indicate the following:
- Killed or mortally wounded: 5 officers, 61 enlisted men
- Died of disease: 2 officers, 186 enlisted men
- Total deaths: 254
Some details are incomplete in surviving primary sources.
Field Officers & Commanders
- Colonel E. C. Williams
- Colonel Thomas C. James
- Colonel Thomas J. Jordan
- Lieutenant Colonel George B. Brown
- Lieutenant Colonel R. M. Russell
- Lieutenant Colonel Edward G. Savage
- Lieutenant Colonel David H. Kimmel
- Major Griffith Jones
- Major John S. Detweiler
- Major Charles A. Apple
- Major W. H. Longsdorf
- Major John M. Porter
- Major John F. Miller
- Major Elisha Hancock
- Major George A. Shuman
Regimental Roster
The full roster of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, including officers and enlisted men, is available for genealogical and historical research. The roster provides names, ranks, and service details for members of the regiment throughout its three-year term.
To view the complete roster, visit the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regimental Roster page.
Sources & References
- Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volumes 7, 10, 16, 23, 30, 38, 44
- Pennsylvania State Adjutant General’s Report, 1865
- Dyer, Frederick H., A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion
- Fox, William F., Regimental Losses in the American Civil War
- The Union Army, Vol. 1, Federal Publishing Company, 1908